Jan Fairley

Various artists - Songlines Music Awards 2012

Innovative magazine championing new and classic world music acts

26 Mar 2012

(Songlines/Proper Music) Despite difficult times for music business sales, with popular small independents reporting they are barely covering their costs, let’s hear it for this innovative magazine. Songlines champions new and classic acts, offering…

Roberto Fonseca - Yo

Pianist combines cutting edge jazz, lyrical poems and more clubby sound

23 Mar 2012

(Montuno/ Jazz Village) Hitherto dressed by number one French fan Agnès B, Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca literally strips naked to underscore journeying into the diaspora of his Afro-Cuban roots. As eclectic as ever, Fonseca walks a fine line between…

Martyn Bennett - Aye

A collection of the best tracks from the late celtic fusion artist

8 Mar 2012

(Long Tale Records) Seven years after his tragic early death, wunderkind Martyn Bennett’s legacy lives on. Anyone who never experienced the live or recorded version of his multi-instrumental music (whistles, fiddles, piano, bagpipes) will surely gasp…

Batida - Batida

African-inspired electronica record that probably works best in a club setting

8 Mar 2012

(Soundway) Having carved out a reputation for unearthing rare tracks of touchstone Latin musics, Soundway now champions hot sounds heard today on the streets of Luanda. Angolan/Portuguese DJ Mpula (aka Pedro Coquenão) creates electronic dance music…

Various Artists - World Routes: On The Road

30-track BBC Radio 3 compilation featuring Toumani Diabaté, Tito Paris and Ilham Al Madfai

1 Feb 2012

(Nascente) How would we hear diverse world musics without Radio 3? Thank goodness they still have the budget to travel to far-flung places to capture stunning sounds from ordinary musicians we’d never know about otherwise. Since 2000 the World Routes…

Ibrahím Maalouf - Diagnostic

A groundbreaking album of brooding French-Arabic tones from trumpeter

1 Feb 2012

(Harmonia Mundi) The brooding French-Arabic quarter tones of Ibrahím Maalouf’s trumpet first seduced as guest on the late Lhasa de Sela’s desert island disc The Living Road. Bewitching then, Maalouf’s own debut with a brace of tremendous musicians…

Baobab-Gateway – Strings That Sing

Accomplished Scottish-African musicians with healthy, multicultural roots

6 Jan 2012

(Brechin All) Baobab-Gateway’s name pinpoints the West African influences found in their original sound. The international pedigree and multi-ethnicity of these experienced Scottish based musicians (Salsa Celtica, Bhundu Boys, Waa Sylla) is a…

Simon Thacker and the Nava Rasa Ensemble – Nada-Ananda

Fruitful reinterpretation by the British classical guitarist and collaborators

5 Jan 2012

(Slap The Moon) Shirish Korde’s Nada-Ananda concerto allows classical guitarist Simon Thacker and South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, working with the Edinburgh Quartet, Brazilian bassist Mario Caribe and percussionist Iain Sandilands, to show…

Anoushka Shankar - Traveller

Thrillingly diverse yet fluent sequence of Indian and flamenco that does justice to both

7 Dec 2011

(Deutsche Grammophon) With cutting-edge Spanish producer Javier Limón as collaborator, Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Ravi, sister of Norah Jones) brings together two strong cultures linked historically by nomadic Roma gypsies. Created more or less in…

The Very Best of Muzsikás featuring Márta Sebestyén - Fly Bird, Fly

Fantastic retrospective of the Hungarian folk group's career

16 Nov 2011

(Nascente) Early on, Hungarian musicians Muzsikás, with singer Márta Sebestyén, were at the forefront of the European folk scene. Forty years after they pushed forward traditions championed by ethnomusicologists Bartok and Kodaly, they sound as fiery…

Caetano Veloso & Maria Gadú - Multishow Ao Vivo

Concert from Brazilian singer/guitarist and up and coming singer

10 Nov 2011

(Universal) This superb stripped-back concert sees Brazilian hero and singer/guitarist Caetano Veloso partnered by up-and-coming female singer Maria Gadú. Armed only with acoustic guitars, their deceptively light, shapely and meaningful voices blend…

Julaba Kunda - Traders

Scotland’s Griselda Sanderson and Gambia’s Juldeh Camara conjure magical range of timbres and tones

21 Oct 2011

(Waulk Music) ‘Traders’ aptly describes the exchange of tunes and oral tradition between Scotland’s Griselda Sanderson and Gambia’s Juldeh Camara (often seen touring as a duo with Justin Adams and supporting Robert Plant). 2010’s snowy winter saw a…

Javier Limón - Mujeres de Agua

Spanish musician-producer's songs with 12 top female singers from across the Mediterranean

20 Oct 2011

(Wrasse) Spanish musician-producer Javier Limón is a man of tremendous intuition and vision: responsible for watershed discs for artists like Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía, or the collaboration between Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés and Spanish singer…

Sia Tolno - My Life

Empoweringly feelgood collection from Young Guinean singer

14 Sep 2011

(Lusafrica) Young Guinean singer Sia Tolno overcame civil war exile to compose defiantly funky songs championing a better life for African woman and children. Her richly rhythmic tones have been rightfully compared to Miriam Makeba and Tina Tuner (as…

Various artists - The Rough Guide to World Lullabies

Globe-spanning collection of bedtime songs

24 Aug 2011

(World Music Network) Despite the fact that so many plug into i-Pods daily, it seems folk still enjoy going old school, and serenading their babes with a restful lullaby. For List readers who may have tiny ones in their immediate or extended family…

Lucas Santtana - Sem Nostalgia

Playful, laid-back guitar work from the Brazilian musician

24 Aug 2011

(Mais Um Discos) Publicity can backfire, as with comparing songwriter Lucas Santtana to bossa nova innovator João Gilberto. Where Gilberto distilled everything through a ‘cool’ Brazilian sensibility, Santtana represents more 21st century, universal…

Various artists - Cumbia! Bestial

10 Aug 2011

(Chusma records) Americans have been dancing in time with the Colombian cumbia music style, with its easy slide side-to-side moves in 2/4 time since the 60s, it really hit the international club scene in the 21st century. Cumbia! Bestial offers a…

Hammock House - Africa Caribe

Classic original DJ-friendly Latin music of 70s and 80s plus remixes

21 Jul 2011

(Fania-Código) Brooklyn DJ/producer Hammock House, aka Joaquín ‘Joe’ Claussell, wittily adds vital 21st-century underpinning to Latin classics created for Fania, the New York label responsible for the hottest, most pertinent Latin music of the 70s…

Vieux Farka Touré - The Secret

Tracks that decorate rather than eclipse Malian blues and father's legacy

13 Jul 2011

(Six Degrees) Anyone watching the 2010 South African World Cup opening concert will have seen Vieux Farka Touré showing he is no longer merely walking in father Ali’s footsteps. This album sees Vieux recording in Brooklyn and Bamako, developing…

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - The 1st Album (1973)

Sensationally funky West African music from a 16–piece with brooding organ melodies

13 Jun 2011

(Analog Africa) In 1970s West Africa, various creative ensembles emerged in the former French trading post of Cotonou, Benin; notably the vibrant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Their distinctive earthy grooves mined a musical axis involving neighbouring…

Susana Baca - Afrodiaspora

20 May 2011

(Luaka Bop) Grammy award winning Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca was an early signing to Talking Head David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label and her latest, long-awaited album sees her explore rhythms of the African-Latin diaspora. Her attractive, clear…

Various Artists - Songlines Music Awards 2011

Varied and fluent tracks from world music awards shortlist

19 May 2011

(Songlines) Kicking off with Femi Kuti’s throbbing Afrobeat anthem ‘Dem Bobo’, this is a superbly varied, fluent sequence of top tracks from the 16 nominees for the 2011 Songlines Music Awards. The foremost international music magazine stepped into…

Mariza - Fado Tradicional

Stunning fifth album from Portguese fado singer

25 Apr 2011

(EMI) Mariza, with her iconic, bleached short hairstyle has become an international star since reviving classic Portuguese fado, placing her country and its compelling port songs on the musical map. This new release is her best ever, a 12-song…

Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80 - From Africa with Fury: Rise

The youngest Kuti maintain's the family's vibrant Afrobeat legacy

25 Apr 2011

(Knitting Factory Records/ Because Music) The youngest son of Fela Kuti and step-brother of the fiery Femi, Seun Kuti records and tour with a rejuvenated version of his father’s old band Egypt 80 with whom he has played since pre-teens. This is…

Five reasons to go see Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

The African Soul Rebels visit the Usher Hall

28 Mar 2011

1. He’s part of the afrobeat dynasty. Nigerian musician Seun Kuti plays sax, chant-sings and dances – not unlike his legendary father Fela, pioneer of the funky Nigerian afrobeat sound. ‘What inspires me is Africa today’, says Seun. ‘The same things…

Boubacar Traoré: Mali Denhou

Malian musician still holds the power that raises him above many other 'Saharan sound' artists

24 Mar 2011

(Lusafrica) Back in 1990, Malian singer and guitarist Boubacar Traoré recorded Mariama, a debut that captured the bittersweet yearnings of love. Most who heard it became instant fans and those who saw him play in a tiny club in Newcastle (the closest…

Sergent Garcia: Una y Otra Vez

The internationalist French musician returns with another highly enjoyable LP

21 Mar 2011

(Cumbancha) Whether Sergent Garcia is a stylist extraordinaire or king of pastiche, a five-year wait sees him deliver an irresistible batch of 14 original songs. The fertile Colombian scene is springboard for ‘Time and Time Again’, fuelled by post…

Aurelio - Laru Beya

Sublime and original fusion of sounds and often poignant musical stories

1 Mar 2011

(Stonetree/Real World) When Belizean singer Andy Palacio died tragically three years ago, people feared his placing of Garifuna language music onto the global scene, via the extraordinary album Wátina would end. Palacio must be beaming at the sound…

Curro Fuentes & The Big Band - Cartagena! Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962–72

1 Mar 2011

(Soundway) This fabulous record beams you right into the 1960s Colombian coastal scene courtesy of Curro Fuentes, son of the family owners of the pioneering Discos Fuentes recording company. One summer Curro formed a supergroup-styled orchestra…

Samba Sene & Diwan - Remind Me (Fatalima)

Debut album from Edinburgh-based Senegalese musician

11 Feb 2011

With this long awaited debut original songs, Edinburgh based Senegalese musician Samba Sene shows just why he’s an asset to the Scottish scene. With Senegalese musicican Baaba Maal as his mentor, a stellar list of international musicians in his band and…

Mama Rosin - Black Robert

Quirky, rootsy music from Swiss, Cajun punk trio

11 Feb 2011

Quirky, rootsy music from a Swiss, Cajun punk trio reassures us that wild creativity 2011 style is flourishing. This fresh take on North American French traditions gets these three young guys compared to Parisian gypsy-punkers Les Negresses Vertes for…

Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Songs From a Zulu Farm

8 Feb 2011

(Wrasse Records) It’s debateable whether the ubiquity of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo sound (once it had graced the baked beans advert which took them into the mainstream) came at the expense of a specialist audience whose expectations might keep them…

Eduardo Niebla - My Gypsy Waltz

28 Jan 2011

(LMR Records) While Eduardo Niebla wittily illustrates his debt to diverse cultures with a photo of himself brandishing his guitar alongside a rustic, horse-led gypsy caravan, it’s his debt to rich family community that makes his music resonate…

Cahalen Morrison and Eli West - The Holy Coming of the Storm

Lap slide guitar, mandolin and clawhammer banjo from Seattle-based duo

28 Jan 2011

A good midwinter blues antidote, the serenading sounds and dynamic rhythms captured here ably showcase the thrilling musicianship and deep messages conjured up by Seattle-based duo, Cahalen and Eli. Twelve original compositions and two traditional…

Cesaria Evora - Cesaria Evora &

3 Jan 2011

(Sony) When she burst onto the scene twenty-two years ago ‘the barefoot diva’ put Cape Verde on the map, blowing everyone away, even though live on stage she could be stiff and diffident. True, after her first irresistible albums her output became…

Fruko & Joe Arroyo - The Very Best of Fruko & Joe Arroyo: Rebelión Tropical

3 Jan 2011

(Nascente) A long shelf-life is the hallmark of great music and Rebelión Tropical maps how in the 1970s Julio Ernesto ‘Fruko’ Estrada and Alvaro José Arroyo González aka Mr Joe Arroyo pioneered the best Colombian tropical music ever. There’s nothing…

AfroCubism a magical night of musical exchange that hints at future greatness

Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 2 Dec 2010

15 Dec 2010

All power to the Usher Hall as chosen venue for one of only two UK gigs played by supergroup AfroCubism. True, the snow meant rerouting them via Glasgow, yet that only fired up what Eliades Ochoa, Cuba’s ‘king of country music’ called the night’s ‘calor…

Pink Martini - Joy To The World

Multilingual choice of songs matches pristine voices with quirky arrangements

15 Dec 2010

(Wrasse Records) Pink Martini, who went big with debut album Sympathique featuring their hit ‘Je Ne Veux Pas Travailler’, now revamp ‘festive seasonal music’ including ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Santa Baby’. Don’t expect anything subversive á la Brave…

Various Artists - The Sound of Siam

Experimental fusion reinvents world music genre

24 Nov 2010

Chris Menist’s intrepid Sound of Siam: The Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz and Molam 1964-75 challenges the African, Latin and European dominated world music market while neatly shifting Deborah Kerr and Yul Bryner King and I images for the sounds of Bangkok…

Tabu Ley Rochereau - The Voice of Lightness Vol 2

23 Nov 2010

(Sterns) World music is as much about back catalogue as innovation and London-based Sterns has a formidable reputation as the pioneer shop and label. In this panoramic collection, bridging 1977-81 and 1983-93, Zaire’s singer-songwriter Taby Ley…

Original Broadway Cast Recording - Fela!

16 Nov 2010

(Cast Records) If you can’t get to London’s National Theatre to see the phenomenal show telling the extraordinary life of Afrobeat’s Fela Kuti, look no further than this tremendous recording of the original Broadway show. It evokes Lagos in…

Femi Kuti - Africa For Africa

15 Nov 2010

(Wrasse Records) With songs like ‘Bad Government’ and ‘Nobody Beg’ Femi Kuti not only takes up the cause of ordinary Nigerians and Africans but consciously takes on the mantel of his father, the late Fela Kuti, as scourge of corrupt politics. With…

Souad Massi - Ô Houria (Liberty)

1 Nov 2010

(Wrasse Records) If people were not so hung up on language Souad Massi, who sings in Arabic, French and English would be a superstar. From ‘Everything Remains To Be Done’, a stunning duo with Francis Cabrel with Speed Caravan’s Mehdi Habbad cracking…

The Creole Choir Of Cuba - Tande-La

27 Oct 2010

(Real World) What an inspiring story: only weeks after the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, The Creole Choir of Cuba were working with the Cuban medical mission singing the same exuberant songs to survivors living in makeshift tents that they…

Los De Abajo - Actitud De Calle

26 Oct 2010

(Wrasse Records) Mexico’s crazy Los de Abajo – with their irresistible fusion of Latinised ska, rock, reggae and more – are here joined by a stellar list of guest musicians. Kicking off with the party ‘Fiesta’, powered by flashes of brass, this tight…

Various Artists - More Miles Than Money

6 Oct 2010

(Ace) Calling one CD ‘Tequila Slammers’, the other ‘Distilled Moonshine’, Garth Cartwright coolly sums up the gutsy music captured in these 38 tracks designed to complement his tremendous book More Miles Than Money (Serpent’s Tail). Some is the…

Grupo Lokito - Esengo Ya Ko Bina

6 Oct 2010

(Cavendish Music) Esengo Ya Ko Bina, which in Lingala means ‘the Joy of Dancing’, is a nine track heady, feel-good mix of Congolese and Cuban music. A band of UK based African and Latin musicians led by singer José Hendrix Ndelo and salsa pianist…

Afro Celt Sound System - Capture 1995-2010

15 Sep 2010

(Real World Records) Cherry picked from the collective’s five acclaimed studio albums, these twenty-five songs divide into instrumentals (on a disc titled Chorus) and songs (Verse). Emerging from cross-cultural collaborations at WOMAD involving…

Baaba Maal - African Soul Revolutionary

15 Sep 2010

(Nascente) Baaba Maal is one of the world’s most extraordinary people, never mind musicians, and these two CDs, culled by Phil Meadley from the three albums Wango, Taara and Jombaajo, make for a landmark compilation. It catches Maal just before he…

Various Artists - El Boom Boom

1 Sep 2010

(Tumi) Cuban music fêted off the island is old style ‘son’, light years away from what Cubans themselves dance to. Tumi, the label mapping the Cuban scene since the 1980s, has recently released this compilation, which won the 2010 Cuban music…